If you're interested in statistics, the US Census is a treasure trove of data you can dig into.  Here are some resources to explore:

https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/sis.html

Go here and click on your grade level
https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/sis/2020census/2020-resources/k-12.html

Or go to high school level if you are feeling smart (you are!)
https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/sis/activities/grades-9-12.html

Activities by Topic:
Middle school History https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/sis/activities/history.Grades_6-8.html

Middle School Geography https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/sis/activities/geography.Grades_6-8.html

Middle School Math https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/sis/activities/math.Grades_6-8.html

​Please click on this link and complete the diagnostics. See me for your "unique identifier" (code name)

Open your computer, Call up your monument you built last class for lesson one and we can share them. 

Battery Life tips:
don't keep a lot of tabs open
lower your brightness
power your computer all the way down when you charge it at night. 

Sign up now on Ms. Gurthie's Door or see Reva or Meghana in 8th grade. 

Club Meeting Times 4:30-5:30

Location : in the innovation lab (media center)

Transportation: Please arrange to have your rides meet you at the front of school at 5:30pm.

Dates: September 16th (First Day of Club- must have signed up previously on ms. Gurthie's door.

- September 23rd
- September 30th
- October 7th (possible no club)
- October 14th
- October 21st
- November 4th
- November 8th
- November 25th
- December 2nd
- December 9th
- December 16th
- January 6th
- January 13th
- January 27th - February 10th (Possible Last Club Dates)

More information

WHAT IS A GIRLS WHO CODE CLUB?

Girls Who Code Clubs are meant for girls to join our sisterhood of supportive peers and role
models, and use Computer Science to change the world. ​When you join a Club, you will be able
to learn from fun and simple online coding tutorials, build community through interactive
activities, and learn about inspiring role models. You then work in teams to design and build a
Girls Who Code Project that solves real world problems you care about through code!
WHAT WILL I LEARN?

Our middle and high school Clubs encourage you to impact your community in a positive way
through code. ​In order to build the skills you need to make an impact, you will learn how to code
from our fun online tutorials and activities that will help you build animations, games, apps, and
other things that you dream up! We have tutorials in Scratch, Python, HTML/CSS, JavaScript, and
in a block-based app development language called Thunkable.


​CAN I JOIN?
Yes! Whether you’re a beginner or a computer master, you’re invited to join the movement!

Sign up on Ms. Gurthie's door in the Media Center. 

This post is for students taking virtual class via NCVPS. 
Please also read my other 6 tips for online success which includes video and advice from past NCVPS students.



HOW TO GET STARTED

• Log in to the NCVPS Canvas Worksite 
  • Username is student ID
  • obtain password from school
• Click each button of course to see what's there - modules, etc. Don't forget to Enable Mixed Media (button on course shows you how)
• Enroll in the Required Live Class, if there is one (it will be a button)
• Complete the Getting Started Unit. You will enter text in the video and at the end it will give you a results page you have to save and then submit. To save to a Chromebook, two finger press one time on the trackpad then select "print"  then you can save your work as a PDF to Google Drive

SUGGESTED DAILY ROUTINE

1. Check your Student email daily and or texts from teacher.
2. Read the announcements each day (German, Chinese and other classes may not use this feature but Spanish and French do)
3. Check due dates - You may have a due date on a day your class does not meet. You may need to do two days of work in one day or you may need to work from home (some students chose to do this in order to accommodate their class choices)
4. Follow every instruction before moving on. If in any doubt at all, email or text your teacher for clarification - contact info in on homepage of your course (press "home")
5. If you need a short break, set a timer for two minutes and do jumping jacks or stretch. The timer will help you remember to get back to work so you stay on track with all your due dates.
6. Each course is different so go back to step 4 as often as needed if the directions are not clear to you. 

Inspired by our Big Hero 6-like mindflex game (which uses an eeg chip to run a motor), we were curious about the body electric*

Our bodies are electric. in fact check out this great website by young neuroscientists that says
"humans really are batteries, and the brain contains more than 80 billion of them.  Even crazier is that each of these batteries contains four times the electrostatic force that normally results in lightning during a thunderstorm!  Perhaps the Matrix was on to something when it decided to use us as its power source! "
​
https://knowingneurons.com/2012/12/14/brain-battery/

More about moving things with our minds 

Telekenisis is a sham, but we can use our minds to move things this way
https://www.theverge.com/2018/7/25/17611812/brain-controlled-robot-arm-supernumerary-bmi
and 
https://futurism.com/mind-controlled-robotic-arm-johnny-matheny

More about EEG
An EEG measures brain waves. Mayo clinic says,"our brain cells communicate via electrical impulses and are active all the time, even when you're asleep. This activity shows up as wavy lines on an EEG recording."  In fact epilepsy is a disorder of seisures caused by "bursts of electrical activity in your brain, sort of like an electrical storm"

Literature moment:
* Walt Whitman's poem did not originally use the word electric, as electricity was not well known so he added the term a few years later in a second edition. The poem derides slavery, reinforces equality of gender, race, and sex, and asks existential questions about what makes us "us".


More about this topic:
https://knowingneurons.com/2012/12/14/brain-battery/
https://www.inverse.com/article/49422-smart-devices-will-soon-tap-their-human-owners-to-extract-energy


Related post, including videos to watch and a view inside a controller.
​http://piedmontpd.weebly.com/news-and-thoughts/big-hero-6-and-the-maker-movement

First, let's think size, with the coolest interactive, now a classic with The Scale of the Universe

Now a little background with  Black Hole Basics


Where do you want to go from here? Choose a topic and follow your interest. You can go down a internet rabbit hole of black hole info by following links from the background article above, watch some educational videos to learn more about black hole science,  or create something yourself (but not a black hole, sorry, see me to brainstorm other ideas)

 Be part of the Piedmont Bulls and bears Stock Market Game 

Welcome students!

Often students say they wish they learned more real world skills in school. We are lucky to have with us financial expert JD Doliner with us for this club.  She will help you understand that this image above is a bit misleading as there is more to successful investing than $$$$$

She will run the meetings of the Piedmont Bulls and Bears like a real board meeting and teach us the basics to get started and you will get to try your hand at financial investing. 

Today's agenda

1st Bulls and Bears Club Board Meeting Agenda